The House Oversight Committee wants to find out why the Park Service behaved so bizarrely.

...

Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, a former prosecutor, almost drove National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis into incoherence with his relentless questioning. Gowdy wanted to know why Jarvis had allowed pot-smoking Occupy Wall Street protesters to camp overnight illegally in Washingtons McPherson Square park for 100 days, yet put up barricades to keep veterans out of war memorials on the first day of the shutdown. By not issuing a single citation to the Occupy campers, Gowdy argued, the Park Service was treating them better than the nations military veterans. Can you cite me the regulation that required you to erect barricades from accessing a monument that they built?

...

When closing Yellowstone National Park, the Park Service confined four dozen elderly foreign tourists in a hotel on park property for two days, and also blocked them from taking photos on the grounds. Rangers then prevented their bus from stopping for a restroom break when they were finally thrown off park property.

At Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the Park Service closed turn-offs along a state highway so that tourists couldnt pull over to enjoy the view and take photos.

...

its important for Chairman Issa and others to figure out how it was manipulated politically. Because if the Park Service can become a pawn in the Obama administrations political wars, does anyone doubt that the integrity of other even more vital agencies wouldnt be at risk in any future budget showdown?

Question Number 1: What natural disaster or other imminent emergency permitted you to close each of the national parks? Federal law specifically requires the national parks to be open and enjoyable by the public. The exceptions are minimal, by design, to prevent any national park administrator from randomly closing the parks.

There’s even language in the law for what happens if a ticket booth couldn’t be manned (gates or turnstiles are to be left open until such time that it can be operated again.)

Question number 2: Under what law does the National Parks Service or the employees cite or fine park visitors who entered their national parks?

6
posted on 10/18/2013 12:34:55 PM PDT
by kingu
(Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)

No need to even ask the question. It was part of the REVENGE the socialist democrats and THE FOREIGNER are putting on the U.S. for ah, keeping them down, or because we treat other countries so bad, ah, for being racist, or something like that these freaks have in their DNA code. That’s why their total losers, are are going to get the deserving butt kicking they earned in the next election cycles.

Go to the referenced site and read the comments. If that is the "new" America, then I'm for burning it to the ground and starting over.

For those of you who may have blood pressure issues. The gist of the comments is that everything is the Republican's fault, and the veterans are "crybabies" for wanting to go to monuments "closed" by the Republicans. There's also a lot of "get even" talk. It's was like listening to conversations in a Munich beer hall . . . .

Why are they “grilling” them? They need to be brought up on charges, arrested, tired and fired. Ranger Rick is no longer...from now on it is Ranger DICK. When I asked the too-smiley ranger at Zion “Will nobama let us in now?” the other day. His smile evaporated. Tools.

He needs to get the “lady” who is Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks before the committee. She is the political appointee who is the Park Director’s boss. There is where you will find the link.

Why are they grilling them? They need to be brought up on charges, arrested, tired and fired.Because the GOP is afraid of their own shadow. They worry more about how the MSM will portray them, STILL not realizing the MSM will NEVER give them a fair shake.Feckin' cowards.

In Washington State, three drivers were issued $125 violation of closure tickets to three people who visited the closed Olympic National Park over the weekend. Kelly Sanders, a Port Angeles teacher, decided to take her crew of six international students, including two visiting Port Angeles from Mutsu City, Japan, on a hike to Marymere Falls. On the way they had stopped at Lake Cresent and the group posed for a picture when the Ranger walked up and issued the tickets. Sanders thought the park facilities was closed and did not think it meant the federal property. The wording on the closure signs, read: Because of the federal government shutdown, this National Park Service facility is closed.

When they heard about the incident, Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict and Port Angeles Police Chief Terry Gallagher separately wrote Jenny Durkan, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, asking for the dismissal of citations. Jenny Durkan refused. Contesting the citation will require an appearance in federal court in Tacoma. So far, that is where this case of arrogant federal authority is headed.

16
posted on 10/18/2013 1:25:19 PM PDT
by jonrick46
(The opium of Communists: other people's money.)

0bama closed state highway 34 between Grand Lake and Estes Park, CO one of only two ways into the mountain town after the thousand-year flood destroyed the three main routes.

Trail Ridge road between Grand Lake and Estes Park CO was closed due to the shutdown. It was one of only two roads into Estes Park after the floods. Estes Park is part of a declared disaster area with major infrastructure damage. TR road will soon close for the winter due to weather but every day and every access route counts as this mountain town of 10,000 tries to get a handle on the flood aftermath before serious winter weather sets in.

Why put this on the front burner? How about going after the clown who is borrowing 40 cents of every dollar he spends and who is destroying liberty with his forced celebration of sodomy and the takeover of health care and his death panels?

I go for this suggestion and intend to salute or give a plain greeting to any park ranger with a ‘Heil Obama’. It is clearly obvious that the USA now has another group/layer of badge wearers that are the antithesis of USA Constitutional dedication. I will not accept from these turncoats the excuse they are only following orders or they need the job to provide for their families. They are people who sold their patriotic soul to a Muslim and his enablers. I don’t understand why many vets and even non-vets can’t treat these turncoats the same as I intend to do. I hope we in the USA have not reached the point as in Nazi Germany where all civilians having done no crime have to cower to the people with any kind of government badge.

Oh, in the next election cycle the Republican RINOs will be too polite to mention the fact that they opened the National Parks up to the illegals while banning WW2 vets in wheelchairs. And, some flunkie like McCain will remind us they are honorable people.

27
posted on 10/18/2013 7:28:07 PM PDT
by The_Media_never_lie
(Actually, they lie when it suits them! The crooked MS media must be defeated any way it can be done!)

If you would like me to add a longer list of charges for the impeachment, I can or you can just look around. Some guy does a post of Obama’s foibles from time to time. Many items on that list, standing alone, could be considered impeachable. Taken together they constitute an ominous list.

Gowdy wanted to know why Jarvis had allowed pot-smoking Occupy Wall Street protesters to camp overnight illegally in Washingtons McPherson Square park for 100 days, yet put up barricades to keep veterans out of war memorials on the first day of the shutdown.

If the New York Times and Washington Post were real newspapers they would ask this question in just this way. Too bad both papers are total suck up, kiss butt losers...

39
posted on 10/21/2013 10:28:49 AM PDT
by GOPJ
(Self-respect is the root of discipline...dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself-Heschel)

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